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Portsmouth teacher assault an opportunity for all districts to examine policies

National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI) President Lawrence Purtill on Wednesday praised Portsmouth High School teacher Risha Pellegrino for her bravery and encouraged districts to review safety policies:

National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI) President Lawrence Purtill on Wednesday praised Portsmouth High School teacher Risha Pellegrino for her bravery and encouraged districts to review safety policies:

“Our students, faculty and staff deserve a safe place to learn and teach. I am pleased that the Portsmouth administration is reviewing their policies to ensure a safer environment after the teacher assault at Portsmouth High last week.

“The Portsmouth assault is a sober reminder that violence can happen in any community – unfortunately, we have far too many examples nationwide proving that true. This incident does allow an opportunity for all districts across the state to re-examine their policies and explore best practices from across the country in consultation with education and law enforcement professionals. Portsmouth and other Rhode Island districts must keep the review process ongoing and incorporate staff input to be truly effective.

“Most importantly, we are happy the Portsmouth High students are safe and grateful that our member colleague did not sustain serious injuries when her assailant forced his way into the school building. She is to be commended for her heroic efforts in protecting her students from harm.”

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RI Teachers Head to El Paso for Justice for Migrant Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 14, 2019

Rhode Island teachers will participate in Teach-In for Freedom to demand justice for detained migrant children

Cranston, R.I. – Several Rhode Island teachers, including the 2018 RI Teacher of the Year Kristin Hayes-Leite, will travel to El Paso, TX with their colleagues from across the country to take part in a teach-In aimed at calling attention to migrant children still in custody of the U.S. government. The Teach-In for Freedom, scheduled for Sunday, February 17, beginning at 9:00 a.m., is organized by Teachers Against Child Detention (TACD) led by 2018 National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning. They will call for the government to end the detention and criminalization of immigrant children and their families.

“As teachers, we are mandated to report abuse and neglect - it is our moral and legal obligation to take action to protect the youngest and most vulnerable members of society,” said Hayes-Leite. “We see firsthand the effects that trauma and extreme stress have on our students’ ability to learn. So, when Mandy Manning asked all state teachers of the year to join her in speaking out, I answered the call.”

“We know there are children suffering while in custody of our government and we know there are potentially thousands more separated children then initially reported,” said National Education Association Rhode Island President Larry Purtill. “I applaud the teachers participating in the Teach-In for Freedom and encourage NEARI members here at home to show their support.”

On Sunday, February 17, 2019, TACD will stage a live-streamed “Teach-In for Freedom” on San Jacinto Plaza in El Paso, Texas to be broadcast across Facebook, YouTube and other media outlets starting at 9:00 a.m. Educators from across the country will deliver short lessons on topics including immigration, human rights, separation trauma, and why migrants flee their home countries.

Hayes-Leite teaches 9th Grade in Narragansett. She will be joined in El Paso by fellow Narragansett teacher Kathy Couchon; Amy Mullen, NEA Director and teacher from the Tiverton School District; and Mick Lefort, a teacher from the South Kingstown School District.

National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12

NEARI encourages Rhode Islanders this week to say “Thank You” by sharing one of the following on social media during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8-12:

•A picture of yourself with your favorite teacher, past or present;
•A picture of your child with his or her teacher;
•A picture of yourself holding a piece of paper with a simple message saying Thank You to a teacher and why you’re thanking him or her.

Be sure to use the hashtag #ThankATeacher when sharing!

No Child Left Behind is left behind

Thanks to members' unprecedented, year-long advocacy on behalf of students, the era of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) finally ended when President Obama signed the Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA) December 10. Students and educators lived with the unintended consequences of the failed NCLB for more than 14 years, including an over-emphasis on standardized testing.

Continuing to advocate for an effective law, more than 9,000 NEA members submitted comments this summer on the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed regulations on accountability under ESSA, far more than any other single group. Now it’s time to submit comments on the proposed regulations on another provision of ESSA: “supplement not supplant,” which requires federal dollars to add to, not replace, state and local dollars. Comparing expenditures among schools tells us little about the resource needs of the students in those schools—what matters is sufficient funding, equitably distributed, to ensure that every student has access to meaningful opportunities to learn. The comment period on “supplement not supplant” ends November 7. Check out the proposed regulations, and then submit your comments.

ESSA furthers all three of NEA's core goals:

Creating an opportunity "dashboard" to help ensure equity and opportunity for all students

Reducing the amount of standardized testing and decoupling test scores and high-stakes decision making

NEA President Lily Eskelsen García

"This new law is a well-deserved victory for our nation because the Every Student Succeeds Act will create greater opportunity for every student regardless of ZIP Code.

"Now our work begins in earnest as we shift our attention toward implementation. We look forward to working closely with state and local policymakers, as well as other key stakeholders, to raise our voice to deliver on the promise of ESSA and to provide opportunity for all students."

NEARI President Larry Purtill

"ESSA returns decision-making for our nation's education back where it belongs - in the hands of local educators, parents and communities - while keeping the focus on students most in need.

"Educators will have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions that affect their students and classrooms. This legislation begins to close the opportunity gaps for students by providing a new system that includes an 'opportunity dashboard' with indicators of school success and student support. It reduces the amount of standardized testing in schools so students have more time to develop critical thinking while educators do what they love — teach.

"Senators Reed and Whitehouse, and Congressmen Langevin and Ciccilline have always advocated for educators and students. We thank them for their support in passing this important bill."

NEA applauds Supreme Court decision to affirm collective bargaining

An equally divided U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, affirming that public employers have a compelling interest in having strong and effective collective bargaining. The 4-4 decision leaves intact the sound law of Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that has been working for nearly four decades.

At issue in Friedrichs was whether non-union members could share the wages, benefits and protections negotiated in a collectively bargained contract without needing to pay their fair share (agency fee) for the cost of those negotiations. The case was brought by the Center for Individual Rights, an organization funded by corporate special interests that are pushing their own agenda. The National Education Association, the nation’s largest union with more than 3 million members, and the California Teachers Association, are two of the union respondents in the case in addition to the state of California.

“The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected a political ploy to silence public employees like teachers, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, higher education faculty and other educators to work together to shape their profession,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “In Friedrichs, the court saw through the political attacks on the workplace rights of teachers, educators and other public employees. This decision recognizes that stripping public employees of their voices in the workplace is not what our country needs.”

The Friedrichs case provided a vivid illustration of what’s at stake when it comes to the highest court in the land. It also was an example of how corporations are using the Supreme Court for political agendas rather than what the court was intended: interpreting and upholding the Constitution.

NEA President reacts to Betsy DeVos nomination for Education Secretary

WASHINGTON - On November 23, 2016, the Trump administration announced its plan to nominate Betsy DeVos, best known for her anti-public education campaigns, for the position of Secretary of Education. The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Lily Eskelsen García:

“Every day, educators use their voice to advocate for every student to reach his or her full potential. We believe that the chance for the success of a child should not depend on winning a charter lottery, being accepted by a private school, or living in the right ZIP code. We have, and will continue, to fight for all students to have a great public school in their community and the opportunity to succeed no matter their backgrounds or circumstances.

“Betsy DeVos has consistently worked against these values, and her efforts over the years have done more to undermine public education than support students. She has lobbied for failed schemes, like vouchers — which take away funding and local control from our public schools — to fund private schools at taxpayers’ expense. These schemes do nothing to help our most-vulnerable students while they ignore or exacerbate glaring opportunity gaps. She has consistently pushed a corporate agenda to privatize, de-professionalize and impose cookie-cutter solutions to public education. By nominating Betsy DeVos, the Trump administration has demonstrated just how out of touch it is with what works best for students, parents, educators and communities.

“The National Education Association advocates for investing in smart strategies that we know help to improve the success of all our students, including creating more opportunities and equity for students, classes small enough for one-on-one attention, modern textbooks and a well-rounded curriculum for every student. We also know that the voices of educators — those who know the names of the students they educate — should always be present at the table when making decisions that impact student success. Educators will continue to focus on raising their voices in support of their students and against any effort by the Trump administration to undermine the educational opportunity of all public school students.”

“It is sad that the beleaguered RI GOP would use the occasion of Teacher Appreciation Week to attack a hardworking classroom teacher. Like many Rhode Islanders, Val Lawson is active in her profession, her community, her union, and, in her case, she also serves as a newly-elected state senator.

“Val Lawson is a stickler for the rules. She attended the briefing for state senators conducted by the RI Ethics Commission and followed up with their executive director, Jason Gramitt, with questions on this topic. In fact, this matter was so clear-cut that neither the Ethics Commission staff nor Senate legal staff felt that she needed an opinion in writing.

“As to the specifics of this complaint, Sen. Lawson followed the two relevant rules to the letter. The class exception covers Sen. Lawson debating and voting on this bill, which equally impacts all public sector employees. While not relevant, it should be noted that a statewide NEARI vice president has no role in bargaining for NEARI’s 75 local associations. Should the GOP efforts to change the existing rules prevail, one can question if anyone can serve in our part-time general assembly.

“The GOP acknowledges that Sen. Lawson is in compliance with the second relevant policy. When a NEARI employee was slated to testify before the Senate Labor Committee, she completed and submitted the appropriate recusal paperwork, and removed herself from the table as she was advised to do, because the NEARI lobbyist could be considered a business associate. For a similar reason, she requested not to serve on the Senate Education Committee where NEARI lobbyists more regularly appear.

“Obviously, we are extremely disappointed that the RI GOP would use the RI Ethics Commission for a political attack because they disagree with the underlying legislation. We are also shocked that the so-called paper-of-record’s reporter turned this into an issue by tweeting out a comment before checking her notes, effectively making herself part of the story and virtually inviting the filing of this complaint.

“We fully expect the RI Ethics Commission will rule in this matter consistent with its current regulations.”